


Beefcake

by ABakersTrilogyHasFourBooks



Category: Ghostbusters (2016), Ghostbusters - All Media Types
Genre: And discovers it might not be what she needs, Drinking and sciencing have consequences, Erin gets what she wants, Erin learns to speak up, Erin sleeps with Kevin because she can, F/F, F/M, Jealousy, Rooftop parties, Sad attempts at physics references, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-08 16:00:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7764130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ABakersTrilogyHasFourBooks/pseuds/ABakersTrilogyHasFourBooks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ghostbusters save the city, rooftop party ensues, Erin dances all up on Kevin, they sleep together, she swears it won't complicate things, it complicates things, in more ways than one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Party Up

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what to tell you other than I feel like Erin deserves to get something that she wants...and in the process discovers something that she needs. Yeah.

Erin still wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened, but decided it was probably safe to blame DMX and too many rum and cokes. The Ghostbusters were so jazzed the night after saving the city that they decided to throw a party on the roof of their new firehouse headquarters. Aside from Patty, the girls did not have a large circle of friends, but they had become famous overnight and they had no trouble filling the roof (and many of the rooms below) with enthusiastic people who were ready to celebrate. The place was full of good vibes, take out (thanks to Benny) and booze. A bar around the corner had donated a few kegs to the event and when those ran out, the Ghostbusters offered up what liquor they had to keep the party going. 

Erin had had a lot to drink and she was feeling brave, and dangerous. So when she saw Kevin dancing to what she’d started thinking of as “their song” (Party Up by DMX), she decided to make a move. She danced over to him. And onto him. It got dirty real quick, and as the song changed to something by T-Pain, she was kissing him, and he was kissing her back. Not long after, both Ghostbuster and receptionist disappeared from the roof-top party. 

Erin was certain it was going to be a one night thing and initially, she wasn’t even sure if she was going to remember it. The next morning as Kevin left the firehouse, she smiled to herself as she watched him go. It had been a long while since she’d let her hair down (and taken off her tweed) to have some honest-to-goodness sexy fun with an attractive guy. It may have been the first time she’d gone after a guy that she found attractive without knowing what the outcome would be. She felt a little proud of her ballsy behavior. 

“Well, well, well. Would you look at that. Looks like someone finally got what she wanted!” Erin looked up, blushing, and saw Holtzmann loading what appeared to be a large vase into her silver duffel bag. Before Erin could think of a good reply, Holtzmann slung the bag over her shoulder, smirked, and slid down the fireman’s pole. By the time Erin made it down the stairs, Holtzmann was nowhere in sight. 

It turns out the party, aside from being good for Erin’s sex life, was also good for business. Several party-goers divulged secrets of unsettling experiences they’d had in their homes, wondering if there was anything the Ghostbusters could do to help them. Abby had scribbled down notes and contact information, and promised she’d follow up with them. So despite the crazy late night they’d all experienced, Abby was up early and making phone calls when Erin wandered down the stairs. 

“Hey, where did Holtzmann go?” Erin asked Abby as she went to make a cup of coffee.

“I think she’s testing something out in the alley. Also, did I just see Kevin leave? What was he doing here this early?” Abby looked up at Erin, who was uncertain how to respond. She was pretty sure Abby was going to be mad when she found out what had happened. 

“I don’t think he went home last night…” Erin began.

“And did you go home last night, Erin?” Abby pursed her lips. Shit. Well, she wasn’t going to lie about it. 

“I did not.” No need to give too much detail. 

“Really. Interesting. And did you do something that would qualify as sexual harassment with our employee?”

“I wouldn’t say that. He was pretty into it.” Erin tried to act nonchalant as she added cream and sugar to her coffee. 

“Erin! We talked about this! You canNOT sleep with our employee! That is NOT the behavior of a professional!” 

“I didn’t sleep with our employee! Neither of us was working at the time!”

“Erin. Please. Besides lugging our shit around, does Kevin ever do anything that would actually qualify as work?” 

“I saw him put paper in the copier the other day.”

“Erin!” Abby shot her an exasperated look. 

“Yes, Abby?”

“Are you freaking kidding me right now?”

“Abby, I don’t understand why you are making this into such an issue. I’m a woman. I have needs. Kevin was willing to help me out with those needs. Honestly, if he did as good a job with his desk work as he did last night, we’d probably have to give him...a…raise...” Erin could tell by the look on Abby’s face that stopping right there was the right choice. She cleared her throat. “Seriously though, it’s not going to cause any problems. I promise you that.” She took a slurp of her coffee and headed for the door. 

 

“I hope you’re right, but I honestly doubt that.” Abby retorted. The phone began to ring. 

“I’ll let you take that. Love you, Abby.” Erin gave a sheepish smile and made her way upstairs as Abby shot daggers at her with her eyes.

 

Unfortunately for Erin, Abby was right.


	2. The Pipe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holtz, frustrated and confused about what's going on with Erin, decides to try out her new pipe.

Holtzmann had decided that today was the perfect day to try out her pipe. She’d developed several plans for making a proton shotgun but felt that she could probably destroy a few things with the pipe and still use it in her prototype. She pulled her goggles down on her eyes, set the ugly floral vase she’d seen in the dumpster onto a stool she kept in the alley, and swung away. It exploded into ceramic shards.

While she was excellent at creating things, sometimes it felt great to destroy things too. 

Jillian felt confused about Erin. She’d been flirting with Erin since they day they met, and what had started out as trying to make the other woman as uncomfortable as possible had morphed into something more...playful. Holtzmann truly liked Erin, enjoyed her company, and found her to be beautiful and weird and perfect in her own way. It hadn’t taken long for her to realize she had an honest to goodness crush on her. 

It had been a while since Jillian had had a crush on someone. Usually Holtz was more straightforward about her intentions with the women she was with. She’d been attracted to women for as long as she could remember, and she’d had a handful of relationships over the years, but she couldn’t remember the last time someone had made her heart flutter the way Erin did. She had it bad for her. Erin was sweet and smart and had an excellent dry sense of humor that Holtz appreciated. Holtz felt like a middle schooler, getting excited when Erin sat next to her for movie night and feeling a jolt of pleasure whenever they touched, even if Erin was just playfully smacking her arm for a ridiculous comment she'd made. 

She didn’t know if Erin was into women or not. Erin had ogled the hell of out Kevin since they’d hired him, but it certainly hadn’t seemed like anything serious. Until the night of the rooftop party, that is. Holtz had been drinking and chatting with some partygoers who apparently worked across the street when movement caught her eye and she saw Erin grinding on Kevin across the way. She’d smiled and shook her head, having seen this before. Her smile faded though, when Erin pulled Kevin down by the collar of his shirt and kissed him, long and hard, in front of everyone. Holtzmann excused herself to use the bathroom at that point and didn’t see them the rest of the night. 

When she saw Kevin emerge from Erin’s room the following morning, it felt like an icy hand was squeezing her stomach. Especially when Erin watched him leave with a smile on her face. Holtzmann felt like an idiot for ever wondering if she had a shot with Erin. She knew that she couldn’t stand being in that room a second longer, so she loaded up her bag, made a sassy comment to Erin that she hoped sounded normal, and headed down the pole and out the door as quickly as possible.

Yes, today was a good day for trying out her pipe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just need you to know that I spent a good portion of the afternoon writing an extremely graphic and delicious sex scene for this story. Now I just need to catch the story up to that point.


	3. The Wrong Places

“Checking to see if Kevin’s gone?” Holtzmann asked, making Erin jump. She’d leaned down to peer through the pole hole to determine whether it was safe to leave or not. So yes, checking to see if Kevin was gone. 

“What? No! Why would you say that?” 

“Why don’t you just talk to him? Say what’s on your mind? It sure would be a lot easier than trying to avoid him forever.” 

“You know, I really don’t think it would be.” The thought of putting her feelings into words and then actually saying those words out loud to another human being made Erin squirm with discomfort. Avoidance certainly seemed like the way to go in this situation. “Plus, I don’t really know what to say,” she added. 

“How about the truth? That you slept with him and it was fun but you’re not looking for anything serious because you’re up to your eyeballs in ghosts, not to mention, a book that needs to be revised and republished as soon as possible,” Holtz said easily. “Unless...unless you ARE looking for something serious?”

“No! I mean...no. Not with Kevin,” she released a breath, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. “I probably should be looking for something serious instead of sleeping with my coworkers. I’m not getting any younger. I really thought I’d be settled down by now. Married. Maybe kids,” she sighed. “But maybe that’s just not in the cards.”

“Oh, please. You say that like you’re old or something. You’re like, what, 35?”

“39.”

“Oh, nevermind then. You old bag of bones! It’s too late for you. I’m so sorry.” Holtz rolled her eyes at Erin and walked over to her lab table, where she started scribbling something in a notebook. 

“So that’s it? You’re going to call me old and walk away?”

“What else did you expect? You’re feeling sorry for yourself. Acting like you’re all washed up and that it’s too late to get the things you want in life, when that’s obviously not true. It’s like the ghost thing. You spent how many years researching and working and writing? And then, holy shit, ghosts are real, and you save friggin’ New York City from an apocalypse. Don’t act like that didn’t happen.”

“Well, that was different…” Erin began.

“Bull shit. You achieved a lifelong personal and professional goal while also playing hero for an entire city. Sounds pretty important to me. Just because you haven’t found love yet doesn’t mean you’re worthless. Plus,” Holtzmann began labeling a diagram she'd sketched on her paper, “What kind of a message is that for little girls?”

“Who said anything about little girls?”

“I did. Because they’re watching you, y’know. You’re a role model now. So start acting like one.” Holtz tore the page out of the notebook, shoved it into the center pocket of her overalls, and walked across the room. “Maybe you’re just looking in the wrong places.” Erin furrowed her brows, confused. 

“For love. Maybe you’re just looking in the wrong places.” And with that, Holtz slid down the pole and moments later, Erin heard the front door open and shut.


	4. Chatting with Kevin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin decides to confront Kevin about what happened the other night.

Erin was trying to work, trying to read a new study about dark photons, but she was distracted. She was trying to figure out how the outcome of this study fit in with the research she’d been doing, but her focus was waning. Holtzmann’s words were echoing in her head over and over again. There were two strands of the conversation that really stuck with her: what Holtz had said about being straightforward with Kevin rather than avoiding him, and what she’d said about looking in the wrong places. Both were separate issues, neither seemed to have an easy solution. Erin sighed as she set down the marker she’d been using to highlight the dark matter article. She felt like she’d made a lot of personal progress in the past few months, but confrontation was still not her strong suit. Especially with someone like Kevin. What were the chances she’d be able to have a conversation with him that would end with them both on the same page? 

And the other issue, the looking in the wrong places thing, what did that even mean? Sure, maybe she’d been a little dramatic when she’d said she should be married with kids by this point. It was true that her life hadn’t gone according to her plans, but she did consider herself successful. She had a job she loved working with great people, she’d made important scientific breakthroughs, and she’d saved people who were in real danger. Would she have been able to do those things if she’d had a family? She had never really thought of herself as a person that was “looking for love” anyway. Wasn’t that kind of corny? She wasn’t using dating apps, wasn’t actively seeking out a relationship, wasn’t begging friends to set her up with someone. Yes, she’d slept with her employee. And yes, she felt awkward about it. But she wasn’t exactly “looking for love” when she’d made that choice. She had been looking for a good time. And a good time was had. Mission accomplished. So maybe she needed to clear that up with Holtzmann the next time she saw her. Yeah.

Erin did feel that talking with Kevin rather than avoiding his presence was probably a good idea. She wanted to be prepared for this conversation, so she tore a sheet of paper out of her notebook and sat down at her desk. She’d make a list of talking points, like she was going to give a lecture. Being prepared always made her feel more comfortable. Erin was a notorious list maker. She took pleasure in crossing items off of her lists, in reveling in her accomplishments. She jotted down a few ideas that could at least get the conversation with Kevin started. When she was finished, she had a short list that highlighted the main points she wanted to make. She hoped this would be an easy conversation. She read over the list one more time before tucking it into her pocket. 

~Acknowledge what happened  
~Apologize for any discomfort caused  
~Explain it was a one-time thing  
~Encourage maintaining professional boundaries moving forward

Erin nodded. It seemed simple enough. Avoiding Kevin had irritated the others, especially Abby, who’d fully taken over the job of double checking Kevin’s email each night to be sure he hadn’t missed anything important. So it was time to act. She stood up and walked down the stairs without checking to see if Kevin was still there for the first time since that night. She mentally patted herself on the back for this. 

“Hey Kevin!” Erin called as she approached his desk, “Nice looking paperclip chain you’ve got there.” Kevin had managed to link every paperclip on his desk into a chain that was nearing six feet long. She wondered how long he’d been working on it and also how much they paid him. She shook that idea out of her head. That was a conversation for another time. 

“Hey boss,” Kevin replied, smiling, “Thanks. Are you feeling better?”

“Oh, um, I feel fine. Why do you ask?” 

“Abby said you had a wicked case of the stomach flu. Trouble from both ends. That’s why I haven’t seen you in a few days. I hope you’re feeling better.” She briefly considered punching Abby in the face for that, but decided that her elusive behavior had probably earned her that kind of rumor. 

“Ah, that. Yes, I’m feeling much better. I was wondering if we could talk.”

“We’re talking right now! So I guess we can, huh?”

“Why don’t you step into my office for a minute?” Erin asked him, gesturing toward her office door. 

“Oh. Ok. Am I in trouble?” He looked worried.

“Not at all. Come on in.” She pulled the door shut behind him and sat down behind her desk, her fingers rubbing the list of talking points in her pocket. She wondered if she’d need to give it to him as a reminder. 

“So Kevin, about the other night. Thanks for that. It was a fun night. I hope what happened hasn’t made you feel...uncomfortable.”

“Well, I didn’t like being possessed by Rowan, but I’m glad I was able to save the city. It sure was a close one.” Kevin replied, completely misunderstanding what Erin was referring to. She squeezed her eyes shut and sighed, willing herself to be as frank as possible.

“Oh, I’m actually referring to the night we celebrated on the rooftop. And you ended up in my bed. And we, y’know, slept together? I hope that didn’t make you feel uncomfortable. Since I’m technically your boss. I hope you didn't think I was taking advantage of you.”

Kevin shrugged. “No, I don’t feel uncomfortable. That sort of thing happens all the time.” 

“Does it?” Erin’s eyebrows lifted of their own accord. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. 

“Yeah, of course. I mean, sleeping with people from work is just good business.” Erin decided it would be imperative to plow through the list of talking points and get this weird conversation over with. 

“Well, I don’t know if I agree with that. I think from now on we should keep this relationship strictly professional. I’m not really looking for anything serious.”

“Oh, me neither. Sometimes you just have to nail someone and get it over with. Cuts the tension, increases productivity. You know how it goes.”

“Ok. Sure. So we both agree it won’t happen again? Great. I’m glad we cleared that up.”

“Definitely. I’ll probably move on to Holtzmann next, then Abby. Patty scares me a little bit. So I’ll probably save her for last.” Although dying to to ask how Kevin intended to get Holtzmann to sleep with him, Erin figured that that rabbit trail would likely take them so off topic that they’d never return and it was probably best to nip this in the bud. 

“Oh, Kevin, no. I don’t think it’s a good idea to sleep with anyone else. I think you’ve...I think you’ve done enough. Why don’t you stick to answering your emails? And making coffee. I think that’d be a better way to spend your time.” 

“Ok boss, if you say so.” He noticed a small plastic container of paperclips on Erin’s desk, “Oh! Can I have these? For my chain?” 

“Sure, Kevin. Take them. I think we’re done here.” 

“Great, thanks!” he said, grabbing the box and wandering back to his desk. 

Erin leaned back in her chair and wished she had written having this conversation on her to-do list so she could cross it off.


	5. Good Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin has a conversation with Holtzmann. She's not looking for love, anywhere.

“Well, I did it.” Erin said the second Holtzmann walked into the lab the next morning.

“What’s that, Gilbert?” Holtzmann replied. 

“I talked to Kevin. I was straightforward and honest, just like you said I should be.”

“Oh really? And how did it go?”

“It was fine. Turns out he’s used to sleeping with people just because and it wasn’t at all awkward for him. Just me.”

“Good job. You deserve a good star.” Holtz laughed as she walked over to the containment unit. 

“I thought so. Also. I wanted to talk to you about something else you said yesterday.”

“Oh? What’s that?” Holtz flipped a switch on the unit.

“You said that I am looking for love in the wrong places. Well, I’m not. I’m not looking for love anywhere. Yeah, I slept with Kevin. But that’s not because I was looking for love. I was looking for a good time. And I found one. I’m not looking for love at all,” Erin winced as the words came tumbling out of her mouth in a rush, but she was grateful to be done saying them. She was happy that she’d stood up for herself rather than letting Holtzmann get the wrong idea about her.

“Oh, Erin. Erin, Erin, Erin. What makes you so sure about that?” Holtz turned so she was facing Erin.

“What do you mean? Of course I’m sure about it. I think I’d know it if I were looking for love. It’s not like I’m on Tinder or any of those other dating apps. I’m not actively seeking a mate. I sought out a bit of sex, got it, and now I’m back to, y’know, saving the world from paranormal entities.”

“Ok. If you say so.” Holtzmann picked up a wrench and began tightening a bolt on the containment unit. 

“You don’t believe me! Why don’t you believe me?” Erin was frustrated by this.

“You’ve been drooling over Kevin since the moment he walked in the door. Now you’ve slept with him. Is that really all you’re planning to do?”

“Yes. Yes it is. I even told him that! I told him we needed to keep our relationship strictly professional. And he agreed. Also, he said he was planning to sleep with you next.”

“Whaaat?”

“Yep. I told him that was probably a good idea.” Erin was tiring of this conversation so with that, she walked across the room and began scribbling on her whiteboard. Holtzmann, however, wouldn’t let the conversation end that easily. 

“What? Are you serious? You told him to make a move on me? My God, is that why he brought me a donut this morning?” A look of horror spread across Holtzmann’s face. 

“I figured you’d be interested.” Erin was glad her back was turned because she was pretty sure she couldn’t have said that with a straight face. 

“Are you kidding me Gilbert?”

“Yeah, actually, I am. I told him not to sleep with anyone else that’s a part of this establishment. He looked disappointed, but I think he will listen.”

“Oh, thank God. I didn’t want to have to bruise his delicate male ego by shooting him down.”

“No need to worry about that. And now that we’ve got the details of my private life all sorted out, I’m going to get some work done. Good talk,” and with that, Erin focused her energy on solving a particularly long, troublesome equation. She was glad this conversation was over with. 

It was silent in the lab for a few minutes.

And then, “Erin?” Holtz said. 

“Yes?”

“What was all that stuff you said about needing to be married by now? And looking for something serious?” Erin sighed. She was hoping Holtzmann wouldn’t bring that up. Because in truth, she didn’t have a good response. She’d been thinking those things in the moment, but she didn’t necessarily know what to do about them. So she made up an excuse. 

“I think that was just hormones talking. You know, time of the month kind of thing.” Erin retorted, blushing slightly. It wasn’t typical for her to use her period as an excuse for her behavior. 

“Time of the month thing, huh? So you’re not looking for anything serious then?”

“I don’t think so. With the way things are going here, I don’t think I’d have time for a serious relationship and all that comes with it.”

In a small but not insignificant turn of events, Erin had her back turned to Holtz, scribbling away with her blue marker while replying. If she hadn’t, she would have seen how the other woman’s face fell upon hearing her response. 

“Gotcha,” Holtz replied, “Good talk.” 

And the conversation was over.


	6. Revival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin and Patty go furniture shopping and Patty spills the beans about some things.

One morning the following week, Patty asked Erin to come along with her to check out Revival, a small shop that specialized in furniture restoration. Patty had seen some antique furniture and wanted Erin’s opinion on it. They considered taking the Ecto-2 there, since no one seemed to complain about them parking it wherever they wanted, but neither of them felt comfortable driving it and Holtzmann was nowhere to be found. Patty tried to avoid the subway whenever possible, so they took the bus instead.

“Where has Holtzmann been, anyway?” Erin asked Patty as they paid their fare and found a place to stand near the back. 

“Who knows. That girl’s been kind of elusive this week.”

“We were supposed to work on the dark matter detector but she’s been hard to nail down. Huh.” Erin thought it was a little unusual that Holtzmann hadn’t asked her to do any research or gather parts for their little project. Dumpster diving was one of her favorite outings. 

“Hmm. Hey, I noticed you aren’t avoiding Kevin any more. What’s going on there?” Patty asked.

“I did the grown up thing and confronted him about it. Holtzmann told me to put on my big girl panties, so I did. I told him it wasn’t going to happen again and that I wasn’t looking for, y’know, a relationship or anything and that we should keep things professional in our workplace. He seemed to understand. Surprisingly. Also, did you know that he’s scared of you?”

“Damn well should be! He set a cup of coffee on my vintage map of New York Harbor the other day. Shit could’ve left a ring! I would’ve killed the boy. Took me ages to finally win that thing on eBay. I’m glad you got that all taken care of though, Abby and I were wondering what your plan was gonna be.”

“I mean, Kevin’s a nice guy. He’s gorgeous, pretty, uh, talented in the sheets. But we’re on different wavelengths. And I think things are just too busy right now for me to try and add romance of any kind to my life. I’ve been asked to give a guest lecture at NYU. If it goes well, it might become an adjunct thing.” Erin hadn’t told anyone this last part yet, she wasn’t sure how they would respond. They were all pretty busy with research and busts and she didn’t know how they would feel about her adding on something more. 

“That’s great, Erin! Good for you. Though I have to say, I personally think there’s always time for romance. What’s life without a little lovin’?”

“I don’t know. I had this conversation with Holtz the other day. She told me I was looking for love in all the wrong places. I’m not actually looking for love anywhere. I don’t feel like it’s something I have time to seek out, if that makes sense.” Erin felt that this was a really sensible stance to have on the matter and she was proud of herself for realizing it. 

“You told Holtzy that, huh? And what did she say?” They arrived at their stop and exited the bus along with several other passengers.

Erin shrugged. “She seemed to think there was no way that was the case. I made some comment the other day about how I figured I’d be settled down by now and she sort of ran with it. I mean sure, it’d be nice to find someone great. And yes, I enjoy sex. Who doesn’t? But that doesn’t mean I need to devote a significant portion of my life to of finding my perfect match or something. Who has time for that?” Erin followed Patty down the block. 

“Well, that explains a lot.”

“What do you mean?” 

“About Holtzmann. Girl’s got a thing for you. Probably crushed her when you said you weren’t looking for anything.” Patty said matter-of-factly as she led Erin into the furniture store. 

“Wait, what?”

“Holtzy’s got a major crush on you, Erin. You had to know that. Girl flirts with you day and night.” Patty said, walking past a row of end tables.

“Don’t be ridiculous! She just likes to make me squirm.” 

“Well, I’m sure she enjoys that too, but she also really likes you.” Patty stopped to check the price tag on a sofa table. “This would look good on the main floor. Could put a few books on it.” 

“How can you be so sure of this, Patty?” Erin was surprised to hear this. Holtzmann had flirted with her since the moment she walked into the lab looking for Abby all those months ago. But that was just Holtzmann. She didn’t have a lot of boundaries. 

“Trust me. I know Holtzy. We talk. She likes you. I wonder if we can have this delivered…” And just like that, Patty’d moved on from the conversation. Erin knew better than to try and get her to elaborate on the matter. But the gears in Erin’s brain went into overdrive with this new information. What was she supposed to do with it?

She could ignore it and pretend that the conversation had never happened. That seemed like a safe option. She could confront Holtzmann about it. Maybe that’s what she would prefer. She had been the one telling Erin to be more direct about things. But before Erin could say anything to Holtzmann, she’d need to figure out what she thought about the whole issue. What she felt about Holtzmann. And as it turned out, that was not so straightforward after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a pretty good idea of where I am going with this, just need to get there. Thanks for the kudos! Hope you are enjoying the story.


	7. The Scientific Method

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin decides to approach Holtz scientifically, since that's what she's best at.

Erin had been working on a problem for days. It wasn’t a physics problem, it was a Holtzmann problem. Specifically, she had been trying to figure out what to do about Holtzmann and the information Patty had given her. Holtzmann was one of her closest friends and as a person who hadn't had many close friends, Erin treasured her. She thought that Holtz was a beautiful genius, an incredible weirdo, a catch, but she worried about messing up their friendship or jeopardizing their work together. So Erin had treated this problem like any other problem. She’d made all kinds of diagrams and charts trying to figure out the right answers. She’d made lists of pros and cons, written out possible responses and reactions, a flow chart with potential outcomes. She’d kept it all in a red notebook that’d she had been carrying with her everywhere. There were also a few pages filled with physics equations to throw her colleagues off the scent, but no one had been too nosy, scribbling madly was not outside the realm of normal activity for Dr. Gilbert. She finally decided it was best to apply the scientific method. It had never failed her before. Step by step was the smart approach. 

Ask a Question  
Do Research  
Develop Hypothesis  
Test with an Experiment  
Analyze Results  
Draw Conclusion

She was going to do her damnedest to approach this situation scientifically. Feelings were messy but science was grounded in facts. Facts were comfortable for her. That’s how she saw the world, after all. Data to be categorized, problems to be solved, research to be conducted. The question was: what happens when you get involved with a coworker? The little research she’d done did not bode well. Things had become extremely awkward with Kevin for a period of time, which was uncomfortable. Plus, they’d not had an actual relationship, just sex. She wondered what Holtzmann wanted from her- just sex, or something more? She decided that further research was necessary and Facebooked an old friend from Columbia who had been in more relationships than Erin could count. 

Erin: Hey, Sylvia! Doing some research on romantic relationships in the workplace and whether or not they work. Care to be part of it?

Sylvia: Ha! Sure. What do you need to know?

Erin: Well, first, I’m categorizing data in two different ways- simply being sexually involved with coworkers and being in romantic relationships with coworkers. And I guess the overall effects these circumstances have on your personal and professional lives. 

Sylvia: As you know, I’ve got experience with both. I’ve slept with a couple coworkers with no troubles, although there was one time I had to quit a job because of it…But usually sex with no strings attached works out fine. It can be awkward, especially if the hook up doesn’t meet your expectations. Or if someone wants more. But you kind of have to find that our in advance. 

Erin: Ok, and what about relationships?

Sylvia: This could be a long story...meet me for a drink to discuss it?

Erin: Sure.

Erin and Sylvia met up that evening at a bar not too far from the firehouse. Erin had a nice time with her old friend and Syl had a lot of input on the topic. She’d had one relationship that ended in a break up and her transferring to a different department, one where she secretly dated a guy who was technically her inferior and he had to quit so she didn’t get into trouble, and, currently, she and her fiance both taught at Columbia, though in different departments. They’d gone to Human Resources with the information to cover their asses once Syl and Ben realized it was not just going to be a short-term romance. Erin felt like Syl had provided a lot of interesting data. It was true that Sylvia had found the love of her life at work, but she’d also had to deal with the complication and heartache of ending relationships. It didn’t sound like fun. Sylvia kept mentioning the importance of communication in relationships and that gave her a squirmy feeling too. Sure, she'd been practicing, but it did not come naturally. Erin reflected on how things with Kevin had gotten less awkward since she’d confronted him and she wondered if maybe something casual was the best way to go. All that data was pointing to that hypothesis: serious work relationships complicate things, casual ones do not. Erin sighed. She did not do casual very well. She tucked her notebook into her purse and decided to that was enough research for one night. They had a couple of drinks and caught up on one another’s lives and by the time Erin was wanting to leave, Sylvia was pushing hard for a tour of Ghostbusters Headquarters. Erin checked her watch. 10:15pm. She knew Abby and Patty would be gone by then. Holtzmann was a maybe, she’d had a breakthrough on a project just the other day and was recovering from the string of all-nighters she’d recently pulled. Erin decided to gamble.

Erin gave Syl a tour of the firehouse and it was fun. Sylvia pleaded with Erin to release a ghost (Ben was a huge believer in the paranormal and Syl wanted a picture with a spectre) but Erin had learned that lesson and told her she’d have to settle for seeing the containment unit. They poured a couple of glasses of wine and Syl inched toward Holtzmann’s lab, where something was glowing slightly on the table. When she approached, it begin to emit a whirring noise. Startled, Syl dropped her wine glass, sending shards of flying all over Holtzmann’s workspace. 

“Shit!” Syl screamed, “Erin, I am soooo sorry! What do we do?! This stuff looks dangerous!” 

“Just...just back away. I’ll handle this,” Erin set down her glass and approached the bench. 

“Stop.” Holtzmann materialized in the doorway, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Erin blanched, unsure of what to expect. “Don’t touch anything. I’ll get it.” 

“I’m so sorry Holtzmann. Let me help. Please,” Erin felt awful. Not only had her friend made a huge mess of Holtz’s space, but she’d also woken her up. 

“I’m sorry too,” Syl squeaked, “I should probably go. It was nice meeting you! Bye, Erin!” Sylvia grabbed her purse and was gone in a hot second. Typical, Erin thought. The woman had never dealt well with stressful situations. 

“What were you guys doing up here?” Holtz asked as she collected a broom and dustpan from under the sink. “It’s not exactly safe to bring people around here who don’t know what they are doing.”

“Sylvia’s a friend. She wanted to see a ghost but I told her the containment unit was as close as she was going to get.” 

“Well, I’m glad you’ve learned your lesson there.” Holtz said with a sigh.

“Yeah. I’m really sorry. Please let me help. This is my fault. We never should have had wine glasses near your stuff.”

“If you’re going to drink and science, you gotta use the plastic cups.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Erin replied, glad to see that Holtz didn’t seem to be angry. She pulled on some rubber gloves and began delicately collecting the pieces of glass that Holtz couldn’t get with the dustpan. They worked together in silence for a few minutes. “I’m sorry for waking you up. I didn’t realize you were here or else I wouldn’t have had Syl back.”

“It’s fine,” Holtz said with a wave of her hand.

“Actually, it’s not really fine. I hate it when people say ‘it’s fine’ when it’s really not.”

“Well, what should I say then?” 

“I think if you forgive someone’s mistake, you say, ‘I forgive you’. Not ‘it’s fine’. Because if someone does something that requires an apology, it’s obviously not fine,” Erin flushed a little, embarrassed by her sudden rant, “I know it sounds silly but it means a lot to me. I’ve spent too much of my life brushing off behavior that wasn’t fine and that I didn’t deserve.” 

Holtz was silent for a moment and then, “I forgive you, Gilbert.”

“Thank you.” They were close now, looking each other in the eyes with only the corner of the table between them. Erin swallowed her nervousness and decided it was time for testing her hypothesis with an experiment. 

She moved around the corner of the table so she and Holtzmann were facing one another. Carefully, she set the shards of glass into the dustpan Holtz had placed on the table. She slowly removed her gloves and tossed them on top. Holtzmann was looking at her curiously. She took one step closer. 

“Erin?”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing?” Holtzmann asked softly as Erin slowly placed her arms around her, through her wild hair that was loose around her shoulders and clasping her hands at the back of Holtz’s neck.

“I’m experimenting,” came Erin’s reply. “So I guess maybe I need your consent?”

Holtzmann smirked, sliding her hands around Erin’s waist and leaning in until their foreheads were almost touching. “Yeah, Gilbert. You’ve got my consent.” 

Heart beating rapidly, Erin closed her eyes and breached the small gap between them and gently pressed her lips to Holtzmann's. They were soft and warm and Erin felt like her entire body was buzzing. It felt like her nerve endings were on fire as Holtz’s calloused fingers gently rubbed the bare, sensitive skin between Erin’s shirt and pants. Erin moved her hands to Holtz’s face, stroking the smooth skin of her jawline. 

When she pulled away she felt dizzy and warm. She opened her eyes slowly to see Holtzmann smiling at her. It was somehow different, softer, than her usual Cheshire cat grin and it made Erin’s heart skip a beat. 

“So,” she asked. “What are the results of your experiment?”

Erin laughed, considering.

“I think,” she said softly, before leaning in again, “I’m going to need to do some further testing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I just moved and life has been craaaazy! Thanks for the comments and kudos, it's great to get some feedback as I venture forth as a writer.


	8. Don't Think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin struggles with analysis paralysis and Holtz helps her snap out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is explicit, FYI.

Erin woke up grinning the following morning. She couldn’t believe she’d had the balls to kiss Holtzmann. They’d made out for a while before going to bed separately and Erin’s whole body was thrumming just thinking about it. Her stomach was wriggling with giddiness, she was exhausted because she’d struggled to stop replaying the night in her mind so that she could fall asleep and her brain, well, it was going into overdrive. She was overwhelmed with data that needed to be analyzed. What was going to happen next? Would they kiss again? Would they do more than just kiss? Would the others find out? Would they go on an actual date? What if they broke up? Would Erin have to find a new career? Who would get to keep Abby and Patty and dear, sweet Kevin?

She shook these thoughts out of her head and decided that coffee was necessary if she were going to sort any of this out. Padding downstairs she found Abby eating bacon at the table. 

“So, Erin, it seems like you’re making your way through the group. Was Kevin not enough for you?” Abby said, biting into a particularly crispy slice of bacon. 

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’ve been messing around with Holtz, haven’t you?” Erin had forgotten about Abby’s incredible sixth sense for these kinds of things. “I’m all for assertive women chasing tail, but do you think you could look outside of this firehouse?”

“I’m not chasing tail! We haven’t even...this is different, Abby.”

“How is it different, Erin?”

“Because...because I actually like her! A lot. I really respect her as a person and a scientist and...yeah. I’m not just messing around.”

“Why, Dr. Gilbert, I am flattered! I had no idea you felt that way.” Erin spun around to see Holtzmann standing on the threshold, a shit eating grin on her dimpled face.

“Well, I guess that clears things up,” Abby said with a laugh. She grabbed another strip of bacon and headed for the doorway, “She’s all yours, Holtz.”

Erin and Holtzmann were left standing in the kitchen, Erin internally panicking and Holtzmann loving every second of it. Erin had not finished figuring out what the hell was going on between them. She had no idea if Holtz was on the same page or not. It was looking like it might be time for another conversation, another confrontation. Erin’s communication skills were getting a workout. 

“Ok, so, I didn’t mean for you to hear that,” she began.

“And whyever not?”

“Because, I’m not sure where this is going. I don’t know how you feel about things, I barely know how I feel about things. I don’t think I’ve thought this through enough…”

“Erin, please. It’s you. We both know you’ve analyzed the hell out of the entire situation.”

“Yes, but I haven’t drawn any conclusions yet!”

“Gilbert, I need you to stop for a minute and listen to me. Yes, we’re scientists. I fucking love science as much as you do. BUT. There is a time and a place for the scientific method. I mean, I am all about using it liberally and as often as possible, but that doesn’t mean it has a place in this relationship. In our relationship.”

“But-” Erin tried to interject.

“Nope. Not done.” Holtz put a finger to Erin’s lips and she wilted against the table. She wanted to have her say.

“I refuse to let you ruin what we’ve got going with your analysis paralysis and your avoidance tactics and such. That may have worked with Beefcake, but it’s not going to work with me. I am much cleverer and craftier than Kev. You are not going to think this to death.” Holtz was quiet for several moments and Erin felt it was safe to speak up.

“It’s not that I want to overthink things. I just don’t know how NOT to.”

“Just don’t think!”

“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO STOP THINKING!” Erin threw her hands up as she said this. She was frustrated with herself, with the whole situation.

“I know just what to do. Come.” Holtzmann grabbed her hand and dragged her through the kitchen, up the stairs, and to the roof. And there she pushed Erin up against the wall and started kissing her, hard. 

“Holtzmann! I don’t think this-”

“Shhhhh! Now is not the time for thinking. It’s the time for feeling.” Holtz shoved her tongue into Erin’s mouth, taking her by surprise. Her fingernails dug into Erin’s hips as she thrusted herself against her. Suddenly her hands were fumbling with the button on Erin’s slacks. She pulled the zipper down and tugged everything, pants, underwear, down around Erin’s ankles. Her teeth bit into Erin’s lower lip as she pulled away and began kissing her neck.

She worked her way down to her collarbone where she nibbled, hands roaming- one cupping Erin’s breast, the other squeezing her ass. Holtz knelt between Erin’s legs, forcing them apart, and licked a trail from her belly button down all the way down, causing Erin to gasp and squirm as she began making slow circles with her tongue on the sensitive place. 

Erin shivered from a combination of the cool breeze on her bare skin and what Holtz was doing to her. Holtz took her shivering as a suggestion to speed things up so she plunged one finger, then two, inside of Erin and began stroking her from the inside and she flicked her tongue back and forth with greater speed. It wasn’t long before Erin arched her back against the brick wall of the building and began panting, eyes squeezed shut tightly. Holtz made a final long, firm stroke with her tongue and Erin came undone, legs shaking, toes curling inside her practical shoes. A low moan escaped her lips and she opened her hands to find she’d been clenching fists so tightly she’d left marks in her palms. 

Holtzmann pulled up Erin’s panties and slacks as she stood up and grinned, obviously pleased with what she had accomplished. Erin was speechless. 

“See? I told you I could help you stop thinking," Erin blushed and Holtz continued, "Look, I know you want to use logic and science to make sense of the world, and I get that, I really do. But sometimes, you just need to let go and live a little, take some chances, dive into things without knowing how they're going to end. Some of the best things in life are surprises,” Holtzmann kissed her on the neck and Erin grabbed her face between her hands and stared into her eyes.

“I don’t know what this thing between us is, or where it is going but I think...sorry, I know, that I will never forgive myself if I don’t find out. So let’s do this. Whatever it is. Let's see where it goes.”

“Yeah?” Holtzmann asked with a smile.

“Yeah,” Erin smiled back and kissed her softly on the lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story! It's the first time I've actually finished a short story, so even though it sucks in places, I am proud of myself for seeing it through :)


End file.
